“Dear Steve,
I gave my social security # out to a debt settlement company and they pulled my credit report. I am not going to use their program and will try to just pay off the debt on my own. Will my creditors know I was looking into settlement since the settlement co ran my credit? I am afraid my interest rates my increase now. Please advise and THANK YOU!
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Will my creditors know I was looking into settlement since the settlement co ran my credit? I am afraid my interest rates my increase now. Please advise and THANK YOU!
Diana”
Dear Diana,
The only way I see that credit report issue impacting you is if it appears as a credit inquiry and that triggers something. I’m surprised that a debt settlement company would pull your credit report and for what purpose since it was neither for employment or for an extension of credit.
If you have concerns about it appearing and you feel you did not give the debt settlement company permission to pull your credit report then I would contact the credit bureaus and dispute that action by them.
If they pulled your credit to establish credit worthiness because they had a firm offer of credit of at least several hundred dollars than it’s legit. If they posed as a lender and bought the information to solicit debt settlement, that’s illegal. If you signed up and they ran your credit without your consent that’s also illegal.
A lot of debt settlement firms pose as mortgage brokers and illegally share credit information in hopes of selling to that category of people “on the edge” of a financial breakdown.
If they pulled your credit to establish credit worthiness because they had a firm offer of credit of at least several hundred dollars than it’s legit. If they posed as a lender and bought the information to solicit debt settlement, that’s illegal. If you signed up and they ran your credit without your consent that’s also illegal.
A lot of debt settlement firms pose as mortgage brokers and illegally share credit information in hopes of selling to that category of people “on the edge” of a financial breakdown.